Source: News.xinhuanet.comRussia along with four other Caspian countries ceases to fish sturgeons in 2014, Russian fishing industry agency Rosrybolovstvo said Friday. According to the agency's head Alexander Savelyev, a joint commission of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan reached an agreement on commercial fishing moratorium for the first time ever. "The common sense eventually has prevailed. Nature should be given a rest to restore sturgeon's population," Interfax news agency quoted Savelyev as saying. The official said the moratorium on fishing would last for five years. Russia stopped fishing on sturgeon in 2002. Since 2011, Moscow has been offering other Caspian countries to follow its example. Sturgeon, valued for its black caviar, is unique for the Caspian Sea which is a home to 96 percent of its global population. Its stocks have dramatically dwindled due to human factors such as poaching.

Source: WWF.panda.orgCaviar should be crossed off Christmas gift lists whenever possible to give highly endangered sturgeon a chance to recover in the wild.

Sturgeon worldwide are teetering on the brink of extinction because of the persistent trade in their valuable caviar.

Although legal fishing is strictly regulated in most countries, illegal fishing and trade continue. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is one of the world’s most expensive wildlife products.

"It's about being aware of what you buy, and the impact it can have on species and on the environment," said WWF's Sturgeon Expert, Jutta Jahrl, “anyone planning to buy a gift of caviar from wild sturgeon – for example Beluga - should reconsider.”

All sturgeon species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). At present, international trade in wild caviar from shared stocks - like the Caspian Sea or the Danube - is not allowed.

According to trade statistics, the European Union, the United States and Switzerland are the largest importers of caviar with 81% of all legal caviar imports between 1998 and 2006. France and Germany are the largest markets in Europe.

“One century ago, six species of this ancient fish were native to the Danube, but today five of them are classified as critically endangered. The main reason for this dramatic status is the unsustainable appetite for caviar,” said Jahrl.

In response to declining numbers, most countries along the Danube and the Black Sea have implemented catch and trade bans. Caviar smugglers using sophisticated methods also pose a dangerous threat to sturgeon populations, making saving sturgeon more that just a wildlife protection issue.

“The catch and trade ban didn’t stop the proliferation of illegal trade in caviar,” Jahrl said. “Continuing seizures of illegal caviar in Europe indicate that there is a thriving black market in the whole region.” More....

Held in strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), the event is co-located with International Travel Catering Association (ITCA) Abu Dhabi, and the Emirates International Date Palm Festival.

Emirates Aquatech operates one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced indoor recirculating sturgeon and caviar farms, covering an area of 56,000 sq m.

At full production capacity, the five-star is capable of producing 35 tons of caviar and almost 1,000 tons of sturgeon meat, and breeds hundreds of thousands of Siberian Sturgeon – officially protected by the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Emirates Aquatech will showcase its latest range of luxury caviar and sturgeon food products at SIAL Middle East taking place from November 24 to 26 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Ahmed Mohammed Al Dhaheri, the board member and GM at Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Aquatech said: "SIAL Middle East is one of the leading food and beverage exhibitions in the region, and is the right platform for us to launch our new range of Emirati caviar and sturgeon fillets."

“Our main objective for taking part is to generate more awareness among the gourmet food society on the first of its kind high quality Emirati produced caviar and sturgeon meat,” he noted.

Among the range of products that Emirates Aquatech will display at SIAL Middle East include fresh and pressed caviar, fresh and frozen sturgeon fillets, and hot and cold smoked sturgeon fillets. More....

Source: Rbth.ruBy Yaroslava KiryukhinaBlack caviar has long been a symbol of Russian affluence, and today is seems true more than ever. The aristocrat’s hors d’oeuvre is the salted roe derived from the sturgeon, one of the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Black caviar is worth more than gold and prized by gourmets around the world. But the decline in sturgeon numbers means the genuine tiny, shiny black eggs becoming a rarity in stores. Instead, counterfeit caviar is filling the shelves. Pike caviar looks similar in every way, but is no way comparable to sturgeon eggs when it comes to taste. However, aficionados are increasingly turning to the lower-priced red caviar, produced by salmon, to satisfy their roe desires. Even red caviar prices are expected to sky-rocket ahead of the New Year, a holiday most Russians associate with a sandwich topped with butter and the red beads. Last summer, the cost of salmon caviar rose by 70 percent, largely because of a bad start to the salmon season in eastern Russia. Later, normal market prices returned – about $50 a kilo – thanks to large imports of frozen red caviar from Alaska. Between 40 and 60 percent of the red caviar in Russia comes from fisheries in the far eastern part of the country. Annual production of salmon caviar in Russia is estimated between 11,000 tons and 13,000 tons. About 1,500 tons of frozen red caviar had been imported to Russia as of August, worth more than $13 million, the Federal Customs Service reported. Almost 90 percent of the imported caviar was declared at $7 to $9 per kilo, several times lower than the average price of Russian caviar. Russian caviar market experts say salmon-roe shortages and price fluctuations are largely a result of conflicts between caviar processors on the eastern coast and those near the Caspian Sea. More....

Source: Dailymail.co.ukBy Jennifer SmithA fish farm has become the first in Britain to produce and sell caviar after its owners began breeding sturgeon and harvesting their eggs.

The Exmoor Caviar Farm in Devon had its first full harvest just two weeks ago, but has already sold samples to celebrity chefs and top London restaurants.

Owners, Kenneth Benning and Pat and George Noble came up with the idea after spotting a gap in the luxury market. Mr Benning, founder of the Exmoor Caviar Company, said: 'The farm has been around for 14 years and was run by George and Pat Noble selling ornamental sturgeon. 'When I discovered it I approached them and we spoke about turning it into a caviar farm and launched the Exmoor Caviar Company. 'We are the first caviar farm in the UK and one of the main reasons this hasn't been done before is because of the initial up front cost which is very large.The farm is home to six different types of sturgeon, with each taking a different amount of time to mature and produce eggs.

Sterlet, Siberian, Beluga, Russian, Stellatus and a hybrid of Beluga and Sterlet sturgeon are among the 20,000 to 30,000 fish that are kept in holding tanks. Once they are fully grown, the eggs are extracted and washed in cold water, rubbed over plastic mesh, and then seived to get rid of the roesack and fatty membrane. More....

Source: Highlandstoday.comBy Ann Marie O'PhelanLocated on 120 acres in the tiny town of Bascom, there are 100 tanks that hold an impressive sturgeon population of approximately 100,000. The tanks are full of the critically-endangered Beluga, Sevruga, Sterlet and to a lesser extent Russian Osetra sturgeon. Sturgeon AquaFarms is actually the largest Beluga aqua farm in the world and has more Beluga sturgeon than the Caspian Sea. Sturgeon is currently one of the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Moreover, the Beluga sturgeon is now listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered. Due to this listing, the UN closed exports from the Caspian Sea. In 2005, the United States prohibited imports of Beluga products. The demand for the black caviar, which is derived from the sturgeon's unfertilized eggs, is considered the finest in the world. Like with most finer things in life, that classification comes with a hefty price tag. In fact, the caviar retails in Europe for $10,000-15,000 per kilogram. Consequently, this desirable and expensive product led to overfishing and to the sturgeon's demise. While Sturgeon AquaFarms harvests the caviar from their sturgeon (currently as a limited edition), their goal is twofold: preservation and protection of the sturgeon species, along with sustainable caviar farming. The story of Sturgeon AquaFarms began in 2001, when Mark Zaslavsky, the CEO of Marky's Caviar (founded in 1983), began importing live juvenile sturgeon from Europe with the intent to recreate a top-notch facility of his own in Florida, stocking it with Beluga and Sevruga sturgeon for the world market. "He felt compelled to find a better, more efficient and less damaging way to breed his own sturgeon in the United States, unlike anyone had before," said Christopher Hlubb, president of Markys Group, Inc. and COO of Sturgeon AquaFarms.In 2005, when the Beluga sturgeon was declared illegal for import into the United States and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the United Nations (UN) declared a ban on its fishing internationally, Sturgeon AquaFarms added preservation and protection to their company's mission. More....

Source: Dailyastorian.comBy Sharon Young California sea lions are marked for death simply for eating salmon in the Columbia River. Now that Steller sea lions have been delisted from the Endangered Species Act, The Daily Astorian has suggested in an editorial that the government start killing them to protect sturgeon (Control Steller sea lions to protect sturgeon, Oct. 21). The killing of California sea lions will happen despite the fact that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently estimated that their predation has declined and is barely more than 1 percent of the spring salmon run up the Columbia River. The government deems this predation “significant,” yet it has declared that the take of salmon by fishermen – authorized at up to 17 percent of the spring run – is an insignificant impact. Each year the National Marine Fisheries Service also reports to Congress that the spring salmon runs affected by predation are all stable or increasing. We are not facing a crisis for which the death penalty is warranted. Although The Astorian suggests killing those that specifically target white sturgeon, it’s not that simple. There is not a gang that has taken over and can easily be displaced. New animals come and go from the dam each season and differ from year to year. Additionally, the recent Army Corps annual report on predation stated that in 2013, sturgeon predation by Steller sea lions dropped to a level of only half to one-quarter of that in 2012. Nothing about the facts we know suggests that killing sea lions of either species will hasten the recovery of salmon or sturgeon. Getting revenge on an animal eating a fish that is its natural prey but that we want to catch is not a solution if the desire is to recover fish. Recovery is hastened only when we focus on addressing the major obstacles. For salmon, that includes recommendations made repeatedly by blue ribbon panels and largely ignored, including hatchery and harvest reform, improving habitat quality and addressing the problem of the non-native fish that eat and compete with salmon and threaten them at levels greater than all other impacts combined.Sturgeon are not listed under the Endangered Species Act, a listing that would help address some of the problems facing them and their need for a healthy habitat. More....

Source: Biologicaldiversity.orgPress ReleaseA federal district court approved a settlement today requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better protect California red-legged frogs from seven common pesticides known to be highly toxic to amphibians. The settlement gives the agency two years to prepare “biological opinions” under the Endangered Species Act to analyze pesticide use in and near the frog’s aquatic and upland habitats. “We’re hopeful the analysis required by this agreement will stop the use of harmful pesticide in the red-legged frog’s most vulnerable habitats and open the door to its recovery,” said Justin Augustine, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s long overdue.”

A 2006 legal settlement secured by the Center required the EPA to assess pesticide impacts on red-legged frogs and to then formally consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. The EPA’s assessments found that widespread use of pesticides is likely harming red-legged frogs and the court ordered temporary pesticide use restrictions that remain in effect today. Despite the EPA’s findings, however, the Service and EPA failed to complete the required consultation, resulting in the litigation by the Center that culminated in today’s settlement. Today’s court order gives the Fish and Wildlife Service two years to complete biological opinions for seven pesticides: glyphosate, malathion, simazine, pendimethalin, permethrin, methomyl and myclobutanil. This consultation process could lead to permanent restrictions on some of the most harmful pesticide uses. “Because they’re so sensitive to chemical contaminants, frogs are an important barometer of the health of our ecosystems,” said Augustine. “Pesticides found in red-legged frog habitat can also contaminate our drinking water, food, homes and schools, posing a disturbing health risk.” Once abundant throughout California and made famous in Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” California red-legged frogs were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1996. Their numbers have declined more than 90 percent; the species is no longer found in 70 percent of its former range. The most severe declines have been observed in the Sierra Nevada mountains east of California’s central valley, where frogs are exposed to pesticides from the intensely agricultural San Joaquin valley. More....

Source: Ireport.cnn.comBy MilennaTThe Russian Oukha soup is one of the most popular fish recipes that borrow the special taste of sturgeon to create exceptional and special dishes. This healthy food may also be prepared with a variety of fish like turbot, halibut, bream and perch. Fresh and frozen, sturgeon is a popular delicacy in many countries and their eggs (caviar) are excellent in appetizer recipes. It’s very sad to say that the existence of this fish, one of the most primitive fish still surviving, is threatened by us humans.Regulation of river flow and over-fishing are the major reasons for sturgeon population declines over the 20th century. Sturgeon are vulnerable to over-fishing because of their late sexual maturity (6-25 years).Sturgeon fishing and trade in the products is a very profitable business. Compared to other fishery activities it is often viewed as “gold-mining”. Illegal harvest and trade in sturgeon products is a well managed and operated business, controlled by organised crime and associated with world-wide corruption. Over-fishing and poaching has led to a significant reduction in total legal catch, in the world and especially in the main sturgeon basin – the Caspian Sea.Legal and illegal trade in CaviarCaviar is the unfertilised eggs of sturgeons. For many gourmets, caviar, dubbed ‘black pearls’, is a food delicacy without parallel. The three main traded species of sturgeon produce distinctive caviar: Beluga, Osietra (Russian sturgeon) and Sevruga (stellate sturgeon). The colour and size of the caviar are influenced by the species and the stage of maturity of the roe. The most sought after and expensive caviar is from beluga, a gigantic fish that can weigh as much as 1,200 kg, measure five metres and live for 100 years. Today, Iran and Russia are the main exporters of caviar, about 80% of which is taken from three species of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea: Russian sturgeon (around 20% of the market), stellate sturgeon (28%) and Persian sturgeon (29%). More....

House Bill 1576, also known as the Endangered Species Coordination Act, if passed, would standardize the process that the Fish and Boat and the Game Commissions use to designate species as threatened or endangered in the Commonwealth. It would also call for a change in the process of designating waters as wild trout streams. This bill, supported by different building industries in the state, is also bringing up concerns by the two commissions who are worried that this could put already threatened and endangered species in more danger. State Representative Jeff Pyle, who represents the 60th Legislative District, is the sponsor for the bill. “I found a lot of inconsistencies in how the Fish and Boat and Game commissions were handling threatened species in the Commonwealth,” Pyle said. “All of my life I have lived a couple of miles from the Allegheny River, and I am used to seeing barges moving up and down that river. When they closed the locks, I started digging into it,” Pyle said. “Pool six had an 80 year supply of gravel and sand,” Pyle continued. “It was a good job to support your family, working the dredge boats. When they discovered endangered river mussels, it shut the whole thing down. A power plant was also shut down, which meant no more coal either. For the sake of some river mussels that no one has actually ever seen, giving up jobs is unbelievable. That is what got me going.” Pyle noted that it seems “irregular” that the importance of some species seems to outweigh humans. “I think that is a big over reach of government. Why are we putting anything in the way of people working,” Pyle said. More....

The second phase of large scale operational prophylactic operations is underway in Kazakhstan. They are held by Kazakh border guards and their Russian counterparts twice a year in the Caspian Sea, the Border Service of the Kazakh National Security Committee said on Friday. 'Coast Guard and Border Aviation patrol boats are controlling the Caspian Sea for a month to curb poaching and protect biological resources', a statement said. According to the report, border guards detained two Kazakh citizens in the Caspian Sea on October 11 and seized more than 1000 metres of nets and 36 fish species, 24 of them sturgeon and 12 ordinary fish. The joint operational and prophylactic actions began on October 1. During this period, around 32 offenders and 11 boats were detained. Moreover, more than 17,000 metres of net and almost 10,000 fish hooks were withdrawn for 10 years. Poachers caught over 150 sturgeon and more than 200 kilogrammes of ordinary fish, as well as a seal over the period. The operations will end on November 1, 2013.

A new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) finds that the State Department’s review of the Keystone XL pipeline woefully underestimates the impacts it would have on some of America’s most endangered species, including whooping cranes, northern swift foxes, piping plovers, pallid sturgeon, American burying beetles and others. The study found that State Department failed to fully consider the impacts that oil spills, power lines, habitat destruction, construction disturbances and expanded tar sands development in Canada will have on at least 12 endangered animals and plants.

“This is yet another black eye in the Keystone XL debacle. The State Department has utterly failed in its duty to fully disclose—or to reduce—the impacts of this pipeline on some of the rarest animals and plants in this country,” said Noah Greenwald, CBD’s endangered species director. “If this pipeline is approved it will be a disaster for endangered species and other wildlife.” Under the Endangered Species Act, the State Department must ensure the Keystone XL pipeline does not jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species; it must disclose and mitigate any harm to endangered species before giving approval. To meet these requirements the State Department produced a biological assessment that purported to analyze impacts to all endangered species, but concluded that only the American burying beetle would be adversely affected by the pipeline. Based on a careful analysis of other species in the path of the pipeline and their habitat needs, CBD determined that contrary to State’s claim, at least 11 other endangered species will be in danger from the pipeline. More....

A Chippewa Falls man faces a 90-day jail sentence, $1,500 fine and loss of his hunting and fishing privileges if convicted of poaching sturgeon in city limits in June. Shane J. Donaldson, 41, of 1004 Jefferson Ave. appeared in Chippewa County Court Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of possession of lake sturgeon during a closed season. He will return to court Oct. 23. Hook-and-line sturgeon season is open on select waters Sept. 1-30. A permit is required to harvest a sturgeon, and they must be at least 60 inches. According to a complaint, a person called the state Department of Natural Resources June 21, saying he observed two adult men and a boy catching sturgeon near the Xcel Energy dam by Highway 124 in Chippewa Falls. A DNR warden arrived at the scene and observed the men — later identified as Donaldson and 37-year-old Jeremy Weigold of 234 Olive St., Chippewa Falls — as they caught fish through unlawful fishing methods. The warden observed one of the men catch a sturgeon by hand and throw it down on the rocks. Chippewa Falls police officers arrived and arrested Donaldson, who denied he was catching sturgeon. However, the juvenile boy had shot video with his phone that showed Donaldson holding the sturgeon he caught by hand. Donaldson is not allowed to fish in Wisconsin until the matter is settled. If he is found guilty, he faces a three-year revocation of hunting and fishing licenses, along with the jail sentence and fine. Weigold admitted to police he caught a fish by hand. Weigold was charged with “fishing by means other than a hook or line,” which is a $423 fine. He pleaded not guilty at a prior court hearing, and no future court date has been set.

An undercover operation in Snohomish County by state fish and wildlife agents has netted two men with suspected ties to an international fish-poaching ring.

The men are accused of illegally selling caviar, steelhead and salmon. One of the men admitted to illegally "snagging" at least 100 pounds of steelhead, prosecutors said. The men were charged on Tuesday with unlawful trafficking of fish, a felony.

"It's bad enough when they're stealing by harvesting illegally. They've added to the egregiousness by then making a profit," said Mike Cenci, a marine patrol captain with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Agents say the men are believed to be connected to a fish-poaching ring that was operating out of several other states. Earlier this year, eight men were indicted in Missouri on federal charges for poaching and trafficking in American paddlefish and their eggs. More than 100 other people were arrested or cited for their part in illegally selling Missouri paddlefish to national and international caviar markets.

American paddlefish, also known as spoonbills, are native to the Mississippi River watershed. The prehistoric fish can live for decades, weigh up 160 pounds and reach seven feet long. Criminals sell eggs from the boneless fish as higher-quality caviar.

"Paddlefish are often sold under the guise of sturgeon," Cenci said. More....

State Department of Fish and Wildlife agents say they've arrested two men with suspected ties to an international fish-poaching ring.

The Daily Herald newspaper reports that 38-year-old Igor Stepchuk, of Lynnwood, and Oleg Morozov, of Kent, sold an undercover agent more than $4,500 worth of poached salmon, steelhead and caviar. They're expected to answer to the charges later this month in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Agents say the men are believed to be connected to a fish-poaching ring that was operating out of several other states. Earlier this year, eight men were indicted in Missouri on federal charges for poaching and trafficking in American paddlefish and their eggs. More than 100 other people were arrested or cited for their part in illegally selling Missouri paddlefish to national and international caviar markets.

Paddlefish roe is sometimes mislabeled as caviar from highly prized sturgeon, which has been on the decline.

Stepchuk is accused of selling the agent five jars of American paddlefish eggs for $500.

Detectives sent samples of the caviar and fish to the department's molecular genetics laboratory to confirm the species.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Groups are hoping to get volunteers to help guard against poaching of sturgeons in spring. Sturgeons are regarded as threatened in Michigan, and are rare throughout the United States. The large fish are vulnerable to poachers in the late spring when the mature lake sturgeon leave Black Lake in Cheboygan County for spawning sites in the Black River. The group Sturgeon for Tomorrow and the Michigan Government are working on creating a volunteer network to help guard these rare fish against illegal fishing. Sturgeon for Tomorrow is seeking volunteers to join in its effort, in partnership with Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ conservation officers, to help protect sturgeon from poaching. “For over a decade, the annual Sturgeon Guarding Program has proven that citizens who watch over the river have greatly reduced poaching while helping to ensure the protection and proliferation of the species,” said Ann Feldhauser, a Department of Natural Resources retiree and the program’s volunteer coordinator. “It’s a unique and rewarding experience to witness the sight of these majestic fish, which can live up to 100 years and weigh over 200 pounds, swimming up the Black River.”

Source: CTVnews.caAs the 10th anniversary of the federal Species At Risk Act approaches, dozens of animals and plants have been added to the list considered at-risk. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has released a report card on species at risk, with a subtle reminder the protections offered under the act do work -- when they're actually applied. "It's actually implementing those plans that's the problem. There's no legislative requirement to actually do anything in the end," said Eric Taylor, a professor of zoology at the University of British Columbia and one of dozens of committee members who met last week to review the status of 42 species. The process takes time and money, he said, and then falls victim to government "stalling." "This is what people have to realize, as well, that it's not cheap to do this process, and to have the government do nothing about it is not only hurting the animals, but taxpayers are not getting good value for money." The report released Monday adds a dozen species to the endangered list, including the Massasauga rattle snake found on the Georgian Bay Islands. The committee issued a dire warning about three bat species in Eastern Canada that have declined 90 per cent in just two years due to a deadly fungal disease. "It's very dire in Eastern Canada," said Graham Forbes, director of the New Brunswick Co-operative Fish and Wildlife Research Centre and a professor at the University of New Brunswick. "There's virtually no bats left." More....

With the holiday’s right around the corner, deer hunting season has just begun and with that comes the big problem of, “tis the season for poaching in America.”

When people think of poaching they think of Africa, but in North America, poaching has been a growing problem since 2005.

The Fish and Game department estimate for every species hunted legally, one is killed illegally. In North America poachers kill large numbers of deer, elk, black bear, turkey, moose, antelope, cougar, big horn sheep, mountain goat, pheasants, as well as various species of fish such as walleye, sturgeon and salmon. Since the beginning of regulated hunting, society would tend to look the other way when it came to poachers, because people thought the poachers must be poor and trying to feed their family. There are still some people who will hunt or fish illegally for food, but they are a small fraction of the larger problem.Pennsylvania Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Protection Director Richard Palmer stated, "The causes of poaching vary, but the myth that most poachers are committing their offenses to provide food is in reality not even a fraction of a percentage of all cases prosecuted. Often, modern poaching is done by criminals driving $30,000 vehicles, using expensive night-vision technology, illegal silencers on the firearms, and often military-style rifles.” What is poaching? More....

Poaching and illegal trade in sturgeon caviar persist in Romania and Bulgaria, environmental group WWF warned on Monday, posing a serious risk to the highly threatened species of fish.

A total of 15.7 pounds of illegal caviar, retailing for upwards of $8,200 per kilo, originating in the two countries were reported by European Union member states between 2000 and 2009, the report said.

"The real volume of illegal trade is likely to be considerably higher," the report's author Katalin Kecse-Nagy said in the statement.

The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for the fish.

According to the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, the Danube is the only large river system in Europe where protection of existing but dwindling sturgeon stocks is still possible.

Fishing and export of sturgeon and sturgeon products of wild origin was banned in Romania in 2006 for 10 years, while Bulgaria is currently under a one-year ban, the WWF said.

The WWF report recommended that Sofia and Bucharest strengthen their enforcement agencies, while also insisting for closer monitoring by the EU and more awareness among consumers and traders. More....

As glum Russian fishermen haul in their net, just two small sturgeon are splashing about among the daily catch.

The scene on the Volga River has become commonplace in modern Russia, where caviar poaching has decimated the species considered a national pride.

"In the old days, we would catch sturgeon each weighing 40 to 50 kg, or 60 kg (132 lb)," sighed Pavel Syzranov, the head of the once thriving Lenin fishery in southern Russia.

"Now there are no sturgeon left of that size," he said after the two immature fish, known as sterlets, were released back into the Volga.

The relentless hunt for the so-called "Czar fish" and its precious eggs has acquired such huge proportions in post-Soviet Russia that the prehistoric creature, which outlived the dinosaurs, has itself now been pushed to the edge of extinction.

Russia's wild capitalism and murky reforms of the 1990s dealt a severe blow to fisheries like the one in Zelenga, a tiny, once-flourishing town in the Volga Delta, where sturgeon come to spawn after maturing in the Caspian Sea.

Two hours by boat from the regional capital Astrakhan, dust swirls in the hot wind, and streets dotted mainly with decrepit wood huts look almost deserted. A drunken man sleeps right by the side of a potholed road.

Poverty and rampant unemployment push many people to try their luck at poaching. Some of their fellow-villagers still cannot believe it has taken the sturgeon so little time to disappear. More....

Ted Nelson stood in the shadows near the trash can. The boating-equipment salesman stared through a video camera at a dark-haired figure bent over a folding table. Inside a wing of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Hisayoshi Kojima -- Yoshi to his friends -- was inspecting a display of mounted butterflies. Around him, the corridors crawled with bug-lovers: entomologists, bug collectors, people who kept bugs as pets, bug sellers, bug buyers, even would-be tailors who knitted clothing with bug designs. Tourists gasped at hissing cockroaches skittering in Tupperware and dickered over prices for pin-mounted scorpions. It was late spring in 2006, and this was the 20th anniversary of Los Angeles' annual insect fair, among the largest events of its kind in the country. The 60 or so exhibitors were an extended family of sorts, who traded bugs on an international circuit of shows or through eBay. There were those who wanted things, and those who got things. Almost every vendor here knew Hisayoshi Kojima. The 55-year-old got things few others could.And Ted Nelson was in the market for something no one else could get.Nelson watched Kojima fiddle with his glasses. The two men had been friends once, or so one of them thought. They'd met here, three years earlier. Nelson had strolled up to Kojima's booth and started firing off questions. They'd hit it off spectacularly. Nelson said he wanted to collect insects. Flattered, Kojima made Nelson his protege.For much of the next year, the two had been inseparable, and what Nelson learned blew him away. Few who knew Kojima hadn't heard that National Geographic had hired him to scout rainforest jungles for insects. Some knew Kojima made several hundred thousand dollars a year selling bugs. Others had heard he kept a kid on retainer to net butterflies in Honduras. But Yoshi Kojima also dabbled in the illicit. He bragged about bribing border officials so he could sneak endangered insects out of South America. He stole rare swallowtail butterflies from the eastern part of Mojave National Preserve and sold beautiful blue-tipped Papilio indra kaibabensis from Grand Canyon National Park. More....

Two Oregon men pleaded guilty in 2010 to multiple counts of swiping abalone from the Oregon coast and selling their shells and meat all over the country.

Two men were caught using GPS to track and poach chanterelles and other mushrooms near Santa Barbara in 2006. They carried a ledger detailing $10,000 in recent sales, but had been seen working the woods for years.

Nine people were indicted in 2006 for smuggling snakes and venomous gila monsters out of Arizona.

In 2007 and again in 2008, separate poaching rings were caught selling thousands of sleek, silvery baby leopard sharks from San Francisco to San Diego to markets around the world as pets.

Poachers stole millions of dollars worth of geoduck clams from Washington’s Puget Sound between 1996 and 2009, selling them in California, New York, Canada, Hong Kong and China. More....